Remembrance & Commemoration

Remembrance - the action of remembering the dead.
Commemoration - a ceremony or celebration in which a dead person or past event is remembered.

Remembrance Sunday is held in the United Kingdom as a day "to commemorate the contribution of British and Commonwealth military and civilian servicemen and women in the two World Wars and later conflicts"

I was born in January 1945. Armistice day for World War 2 was the 14th of August. This year we have just "celebrated" 100 years since Armistice day for World War 1.

Although we say there has been peace since 1945, that is open to debate. In fact, according to my first source, there have been 14 wars up to & including Afghanistan which supposedly ended in 2014.
https://www.infoplease.com/timelines/major-military-operations-world-war-ii

The Imperial War Museum adds to that:-

The Kenya Emergency, 1952–1960
The Suez Crisis, 1956
The Malayan Emergency, 1948–1960
The Aden Emergency, 1963–1967
The Troubles, 1968–1998
The Falklands War, 1982
The Gulf War, 1990–1991
The Bosnian War, 1992–1995
The Kosovo War, 1998–1999
The Global War on Terrorism, 2001–2013
https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/timeline-of-20th-and-21st-century-wars

Encyclopaedia Britannica adds:-
The 2nd Congo war
The Syrian Civil war
The Darfur conflict
The war against Boko Haram
The Yemeni civil war
The Ukraine conflict
https://www.britannica.com/list/8-deadliest-wars-of-the-21st-century

I wonder if I've missed anything out?

My point is that although I can see the point of remembering, the single lesson of this history of the last 73 years, which just happens to be my lifespan, I can't see a reason to commemorate or celebrate it. So what is the lesson? That war doesn't work. That millions, upon millions, are killed or maimed. That millions, upon millions, have their lives utterly destroyed. Millions, upon millions, of those are women & children. Whole cities & countries are reduced to rubble.

I think we should think deeply now about what Remembrance should be about. To my mind it should not just be about our wars & our soldiers. It should be about everyone, male & female, adult & child, combatant & non combatant, winners or losers, whatever nationality & country.

Maybe then we might finally start to work towards accepting that war is the biggest failure of mankind. We could actually try to find different ways to deal with conflict. Wars are generally about Place, Power, Poverty & Beliefs.

If we don't find another way all that destruction & death isn't worth a candle in a dark room.